The Best Way to Pack Silver

A few careful steps will ensure silver is packed properly and safely. (Image: Photos.com/PhotoObjects.net/Getty Images)

When preparing to move or simply for long-term storage, it's important to take a few steps to properly pack silver flatware. Exposure to air and certain chemicals can cause silver to become tarnished, and haphazard packing leads to scratches and dents. Preparation and careful packing can avoid these problems.

Things You'll Need

Mild soap

Silver polish

Tarnish-resistant cloth

Kitchen box or silver chest

Bubble wrap or large cloth

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Prepare your silver for packing by hand-washing each piece with a mild soap. Avoid lemon-scented detergents. Dry each piece with a soft flannel cloth and allow the silver to cool. Once cooled, polish each piece with a traditional silver polish. This will help protect the silver for the duration of its time spent in storage or moving boxes.

Roll or wrap each piece of silver. The best option is to use specialty cloth pouches, which are available at many online silver retailers. The next best option, especially if only for short-term storage or a move, is low-sulfur paper. Low-sulfur paper is available from most moving companies. Newspaper or plastic bags should not be used, as sulfur in those products can tarnish silver. Roll each piece separately to avoid scratching.

Pack the rolled silver in your silver chest, if you have one, or a kitchen box available from moving companies. These boxes have compartments for small bundles of silverware. Fill any empty space in the chest or kitchen box with bubble wrap or newspaper, as long as the newspaper doesn't come in direct contact with the silver.

Wrap the entire silver chest in bubble wrap for long-term storage. For short-term storage or a move, a large bath towel or old sheet will work as well. Now your silver is ready for a move or time in storage between uses.

Tips & Warnings

If you aren't worried about scratches or tarnish, the fastest way to pack silver is to simply wrap the entire silverware drawer in bubble wrap.